"a study from the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN), which found that rooftop solar and other small clean energy systems installed through 2016 will deliver $36 million in net benefits to Nevada ratepayers."

"The study found that the benefits of Nevada’s net metered solar energy systems include: savings on expensive and polluting conventional power; reduced investments in transmission infrastructure; reduced electricity lost during transportation over power lines, as surplus net metered solar energy flows to the grid and is consumed locally; and savings on the cost of meeting carbon reduction and renewable energy goals."

"In addition to grid benefits, distributed solar is delivering economic, environmental and public health benefits to solar and non-solar customers alike in Nevada. Local solar power helps keep energy dollars invested in the state, an important economic engine as the state currently relies on imports for 90 percent of its energy resources. The state’s rooftop solar market has driven $200 million in private investment and helped support 2,400 solar jobs, with significant opportunity for continued economic growth if the state maintains strong policy and regulation."

"Private investment in local solar also reduces pollution, building healthier communities, environment and climate. This pollution reduction is especially important for low-income families who disproportionately bear the public health burden of fossil power. Of particular benefit to Nevada, rooftop solar also helps reduce the state’s use of water-intensive traditional power sources, which require an estimated 55,000 gallons of water per year to supply power for the average Nevada household."

Homeowners and businesses in Nevada that install rooftop solar are not significantly shifting costs to those who do not directly invest in distributed solar, according to a new [2014] study commissioned by the Nevada Public Utilities Commission.

[July 09, 2014] “We appreciate that the PUC took input from a range of stakeholders during the study’s development, and that impacts were calculated from multiple perspectives,”

Because of changes to utility incentives and net metering policies in Nevada starting in 2014, the study found that those without distributed generation would not be left paying for the grid while others defected.

The study, which was done by Energy + Environmental Economics, found that the total net present value from 2004 to 2016 to non-participating ratepayers will be $36 million during the systems’ 25-year lifetimes.

“Overall, we do not estimate a substantial cost shift to non-participants due to [net energy metering] going forward given the current and proposed reforms to the program,” the study authors wrote.